Reversible floor tool and polishing attachment



Aug. 31, 1937. REPLOGLE 2,091,290

REVERSIBLE FLOOR TOOL AND POLISHING ATTACHMENT Fi 1e dVMay 18, 1935 6 v 2 7 Z: 3 I 3G a. i 7

\L 0 m, m 5 n z n w w a Patented Aug. 31, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE REVERSIBLE FLOOR TOOL AND POLISHING ATTACHMENT Application May 18, 1935, Serial No. 22,272

8 Claims.

The invention relates to floor cleaning apparatus, and more particularly to apparatus of this type utilizing the cleaning effect of swiftly moving air and to attachments for such cleaning apparatus which may be readily applied or removed whereby waxed floors may be polished While at the same time air is being drawn into the tool over the waxed surface, thus drying such surface and picking up such particles of Wax and dirt as may be rubbed loose from the floor.

In designing the apparatus it is my aim to utilize to a large extent standard and interchangeable parts, connections and the like, which are covered by my prior patents and pending v applications, and which are included in what is known as the Air-Way system, the term Air-Way eing covered by a registered trademark.

One of the objects of my invention is to pro- O vide a reversible floor tool which in one position may be used for sweeping floors or floor coverings, and which in the reversed position may be employed for polishing Waxed floors and the like.

A further object of my invention is to provide a brushing or polishing attachment which may be readily applied to and as readily removed from a floor cleaning tool or nozzle.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a floor polishing attachment which may be secured over an inlet mouth of an Air-Way cleaning tool, which is attached to a source of suction, whereby the floor may be simultaneously polished and particles of dirt or rolled-up wax drawn into the nozzle.

Another object of the invention is to provide a polishing attachment for a reversible doublemouthed floor tool of the type shown in Replogle and Queen Patent No. 1,994,872, dated March 19,

1935, whereby the tool may be employed for ordinary floor sweeping, or, by reversal of the tool, it may be employed for polishing the floor, While on removal of the attachment the tool may be employed for picking threads from a floor covering, with a strong draft of air entering a mouth of reduced size.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent from a consideration of the accompanying drawing and the following detailed description in 5,0 which an illustrative embodiment of the invention is set forth, it being understood that the invention is not limited to the details of construction so illustrated and described.

In the drawing,

55 Fig. 1 is a front view, partly in vertical section, of a double-mouthed reversible floor tool equipped with the improved polishing attachment;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same;

Fig. 3 is a transverse section on line 3-3 of 5 Fig. 1, certain parts being shown in elevation;

Fig. i is a perspective view of the polishing attachment removed from the floor tool;

Fig. 5 is a View largely diagrammatic in character, illustrating the combined floor tool and 10 attachment employed as part of a portable electric Air-Way cleaner, the apparatus being in polishing position;

Fig. 6 is a similar view with the floor tool reversed and in the carpet sweeping position, 15 and Fig. '7 is a diagrammatic View with the attachment removed and the thread-picking mouth of the tool in working position.

The apparatus comprises a floor tool, repre- 2O sented generally by the reference letter A, which floor tool is shown as provided with two suction mouths, one reduced for thread picking purposes, and the other enlarged for ordinary cleaning operation, the tool being substantially that dis- 25 closed in Rcplogle and Queen Patent 1,994,872, dated March 19, 1935. To this tool a polishing attachment B is adapted to be removably secured, with the mouth portion of the polishing attachment tightly fitted over the reduced 30 thread picking mouth of the cleaning'tool, the attachment being intended to be employed for sweeping or polishing the floor, the air entering the tool through the thread picking mouth serving to draw into the cleaner particles of 35 dust, dirt and rolled-up wax, the said air assisting in the drying of Wax which has been newly applied to the floor.

As shown, the floor tool A comprises three main parts, namely a front half ID of the casing 40 of the floor tool, a rear half H of the casing, and a stub outlet pipe 12 adapted to be connected to a source of suction and being rotatable with reference to the casing or floor tool nozzle. The stub pipe is held in place by means 5 of a flange 35 fitting within a groove formed between the front and rear sections of the nozzle. The outlet pipe preferably carries a valve 53 adapted to cut off one or the other mouth it or lid of the cleaning tool from the source of suction, whichever mouth is uppermost, while the other is placed in communication with said source of suction, as more fully set forth in the Replogle and Queen Patent referred to above.

The mouth M of the floor tool or nozzle is 55 preferably elongated and extends substantially the full length of the tool, and is preferably employed for ordinary sweeping purposes. The mouth I5 is reduced in size and is used for special cleaning purposes wherein a concentrated swift movement of air is required, as for example, where tightly adhering threads are to be removed from a floor or floor covering. The front and rear sections of the casing are suitably secured together as by bolts I6, 16, which serve not only to hold the parts of the casing together, but to unite therewith the valve and outlet pipe. By this arrangement rotation of the outlet pipe with reference to the nozzle or of the nozzle with reference to the pipe is permitted. The floor tool may be readily reversed by the foot of the operator or in any suitable manner. The tool may be formed of cast material, which may be either metallic or non-metallic. Where metal is employed, aluminum is desirable on account of its lightness. Bakelite is a good example of non-metallic material and can be cast or molded in any desired shape. Where aluminum is used, it is desirable to employ non-metallic stroker elements l1, l1 and I8, I8, which form the front and rear margins of the mouths of the cleaner and which prevent marring or discoloring the surface to be cleaned. These strokers are preferably in the form of curls, which are removable endwise and may be formed of hard fiber, raw-hide, hard rubber or other material which may be properly shaped and which will not mar or discolor the floor or floor covering. The floor tool or nozzle is preferably provided with pockets l9, I9 at the ends thereof, adapted to receive removable supports 29, 20 of end rollers 2|, 2|, such as are illustrated in Figs. 5, 6 and 7. The rollers and roller supports may, if desired, be reversed within the pockets so that they may cooperate with the floor tool, regardless of which cleaning mouth is functioning, although in general they will be used only when the enlarged sweeping mouth is in operative position.

According to my invention the polishing attachment B is adapted to be applied to or removed from the floor tool above described so as to cooperate with one mouth l5 thereof, leaving the other mouth l4 unafiected. When so applied air is drawn into the cleaner through the mouth to which the polisher is applied, and such air assists in the polishing or sweeping operation and in the removal of particles of dust or wax from the floor.

As shown, the attachment comprises a rectangular body member 22, which may be of cast metal, wood, Bakelite or other suitable material, From one face of the body member channels 23, 23 extend substantially the full length of the attachment, and within these are tightly fitted parallel brushing or polishing elements 24, 24, preferably of felt or like material suitable for polishing a waxed surface. These elements may be frictionally held in position without the use of additional securing means, if desired, or they may be permanently secured in place. They are desirably removable and replaceable by other brushing or sweeping members, as for example, by elongated bristle brushes. The ends of the attachment may be closed by end walls 31, 31, which, however, do not extend as far as the polishing members and leave end openings to permit air to enter the cleaner endwise when drawn thereinto by suction through the reduced mouth IS.

The opposite face of the body member 22 of the attachment is provided with means for securing the attachment in cooperative relation to the floor tool. As shown, a wall 25 surrounds the mouth of the attachment and is adapted to fit snugly over the reduced thread picking mouth E5 of the floor tool. The fit may be so tight and snug that no additional securing means is required, but if it is desired to supplement the frictional engagement additional securing means may be employed, as for example, by the screw threaded bolt 2% fitting through the wall and extending behind a shoulder 27 on the thread picking mouth of the tool, as illustrated in Fig. l. The wall 25 is provided with an arcuate cutaway portion 28 to accommodate the stub pipe 12 and rotatable joint carried thereby, so as to permit relative rotation of the tool and stub portion. Near the ends of the member 22 are secured lugs or struts 29, 29, preferably parallel with the ends of the attachment and with the ends of the wall 25. These are the same height as the wall 25 and are adapted to abut a wall 36 of the floor tool so as to insure solid and positive engagement.

It will be understood that the floor tool may be connected to any suitable source of suction, either remote or carried by the cleaner. In Figs. 5 to 7 inclusive the tool is shown applied to an Air-\Nay type cleaner which includes a fan motor 3!, indicating valve 32, suction handle 33, and a dust collector 34 preferably con-- sisting of an outer cloth bag and an inner paper bag, both detachably carried by the handle and detachably connected to the fan outlet. The tool may also be employed with other types of cleaners, as for example those shown in my Patents Nos. 1,157,219, dated Jan. 4, 193.6, 1,345,550, dated July 6, 1920, 1,533,271, dated April 14, 1925 and 1,887,600, dated Nov. 15, 1932. These patents are referred to as typical.

The attachment may be applied to or removed from the floor cleaning tool as desired. When removed the cleaner may be employed for floor or carpet sweeping purposes with either mouth in working position, Fig. 7 showing the smaller mouth downward for thread picking purposes. The roller supports are reversible so that they may be used in cooperation with either cleaning mouth, if desired, although they are not necessarily employed in conjunction with the thread picking or polishing operations, but should be employed in conjunction with the ordinary carpet sweeping action of the tool.

In Fig. 5 the brushing or polishing attachment B is shown applied to the tool and in working position. The apparatus is moved to and fro over the floor or surface to be cleaned, loosening the dirt particles, and where felts are used in cleaning a waxed floor, such felts serve to polish the waxed surface, the air being drawn into the mouth 15 of the floor tool and assisting in drying the waxed surface.

To return to the ordinary sweeping position it is unnecessary to remove the attachment, but the tool may be merely reversed, leaving the attachment in place for use at a future period. It may, however, be readily removed when it is desired to secure a rapid flow of air into the reduced thread picking mouth.

It will be understood from Figs. 5 and 6 that the tool is adapted for sweeping a floor with the use of bristle brushes in conjunction with the attachment, or on reversal of the tool it may be employed for ordinary carpet sweepmg.

Thus it will be apparent that the apparatus is of wide and varied application, is simple in construction, and easily converted from one form to another.

While the device has been described in detail with reference to a particular form of floor tool,

it will be understood that according to the broad aspects of the invention it is capable of wide uses with various types of cleaning apparatus. .0 I claim:

1. A polishing attachment for a reversible floor tool of a suction cleaner; said attachment including a working face and an attaching face and having an opening adapted to be placed in registry with a mouth of the floor tool, the attaching face having an arcuate cut-away portion to accommodate the suction outlet pipe of the cleaner.

2. A polishing attachment for a floor tool of 20 a suction cleaner; said attachment including a working face and an attaching face and having an opening adapted to be placed in registry with a mouth of the floor tool, and an upstanding rectangular wall on the attaching face surrounding said opening and adapted to fit over said tool mouth, the rear portion of said wall being cut away arcuately to accommodate the suction outlet pipe of the cleaner.

3. In an apparatus of the character described, 30 a polishing attachment for a floor tool of a suctic-n cleaner having a reduced mouth projecting outwardly beyond the remainder of the tool; said attachment including a working face and an attaching face and having an opening adapted to 35 be placed in registry with said mouth, a rectangular wall on the attaching face surrounding said opening and adapted to fit over said tool mouth, and a pair of spaced parallel struts adapted to be interposed between the attachment and 40 said tool and spaced equidistant from said rectangular wall at opposite ends of the attachment.

4. In an apparatus of the character described,

a floor cleaning tool adapted to be operatively connected to a source of suction, and including 45 a centrally arranged reduced mouth portion projecting outwardly beyond the remainder of the tool, and a rearwardly extending outlet pipe, a

polishing attachment for said tool, said attachment being of generally rectangular construc- 50 tion and including an attaching face and a working face, and having a centrally arranged opening adapted to register with the mouth of said tool, said attaching face including a rectangular wall surrounding said opening and adapted to snugly fit over the projecting portion of said tool and having a cut-away portion to accommodate the outlet pipe.

5. In an apparatus of the character described, a floor cleaning tool adapted to be operatively connected to a source of suction, and including a centrally arranged reduced mouth portion projecting outwardly beyond the remainder of the tool, and a polishing attachment for said tool, said attachment being of generally rectangular construction and including an attaching face and a working face, and having a centrally arranged opening adapted to register with the mouth of said tool, said attaching face including a rectangular wall surrounding said opening and adapted to snugly fit over the projecting portion of said tool, and a pair of parallel struts interposed between the attachment and the laterally projecting portions of the tool.

6. A polishing attachment for floor tools of the character described, comprising a fiat base portion having a centrally arranged inlet opening, a rectangular wall projecting from one face and surrounding said opening, adapted to be fitted over a reduced projecting mouth portion of the floor tool, a pair of channels extending from the opposite face of the base portion, and of substantially greater length than the central opening, and a pair of polishing felts carried in said channels.

'7. A polishing attachment as set forth in claim 6, wherein the wall surrounding said inlet opening is arcuately cut away at one side thereof to accommodate the floor tool outlet pipe.

8. In an apparatus of the character described, a floor tool adapted to be operatively connected to a source of suction, including a centrally arranged reduced mouth portion projecting outwardly beyond the remainder of the tool, a polishing attachment for said tool having a working face and an attaching face and being of generally rectangular construction, said attachment including a fiat base having a centrally arranged opening adapted to register with the mouth opening of said tool and a rectangular wall surrounding said opening and fitting snugly over the projecting mouth portion of said tool, the working face including a pair of channels and a pair of polishing felts carried in said channels, one in front of and one in rear of said opening, and extending substantially beyond the confines of the mouth to the end of the tool.

DANIEL BENSON REPLOGLE. 

